Power wind for dump vehicles



April G. E. ARM'INGTON 2.237.128

POWER WIND FOR DUMP VEHICLES Filed April 24, 1940 INVENTOR GEOIEQE E. ARMINGTON ATTORNE Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER. WIND FOR. DUMP VEHICLES 'George E. Armington, South Euclid, Ohio, assignor to- The Euclid Road Machinery Company, Euclid, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationApril 24, 1940, Serial No. 331,287

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a door wind for a vehicle having dumping doors, and more particularly to a vehicle wherein the doors move by gravityto open position and require power to close them.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple mechanism for the purpose comprising a few parts cheap to construct and simple to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism movable to door closing position by a fluid motor whereupon the doors are held in closed position by detent means permitting the fluid motor to be evacuated. Another object of the present invention is to provide novel detent means for holding the doors in closed position and novel means for releasing the detent means when the doors are opened.

Other advantages of the invention will appear from the accompanying description and drawing and the essential features thereof will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a trailer dump wagon equipped with my improved door closing mechanism; Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the door closing mechanism generally with the enclosing cover of Fig. 1 removed; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental detail view of a portion of the mechanism of Fig. Fig. 5 is substantially an end elevational view taken approximately from the position 55 of Fig. 4; while Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a control valve.

While my invention is useful on various types closed so that the two doors together completely close the bottom of the vehicle and drop by grave ity about their hinges to the open position shown in Fig. 1. These doors are of the type shown and described in Patent No. 2,055,919 granted Sep-' tember 29,, 1936 to Arthur P. Armington and myself and further description is thought unnecessaryhere.

Means for controlling the position of the doors I2 is provided by means of a cable l3 which connected by a; clamp II to two cables I5 and body and thence over separate sheaves located centrally of the front lower end of the body and thereafter cable l6 passes downwardly to the lower front edge of the right-hand door where it passes about a sheave l8, thence along the bottom of the right-hand doorto the rear corner thereof where it passes about another sheave and is then attached to a dead man at the rear end of when they are in open position. To this end the the wagon body. "Cable l5iis connected in a like manner to the left-hand door and extends along the lower edge thereof to the rear of the wagon body where it in turn is connected to a dead man. This arrangement of the door closing cables is not new and is. in all respects similar to that disclosed in the above mentioned Arming- .ton patent.

The present invention is directed to means for pulling on the cable l3 so as to close the doors cable I3 has formed in it a bight I3a which passes around a sheave l9 and thence to a dead cated at 22 comprises a pivot pin passing,

through the lever and supported by a pair of parallel plates-23. These in turn are securedat their upper end to a housing 24 rigid with the side wall 25 of the vehicle and at their lower end are supported by a bracket 26 on the vehicle body.

Power means is provided for swinging the lever 2| between its full line and dash-dot position indicated in Fig. 2. The means here shown comprises a cylinder and piston motor having a cylinder 21 pivotally mounted on trunnions 28 which in turn are carried by side walls of the housing 16. These cables pass about, a double sheave l'l at the front lower right-hand corner of the wagon 24. The piston 29 of the motor is connected by piston rod 30 with the lever 2| by a pivotal connection 3|. Itwill be noted that the lever arm 22, 3| of .the power means is approximately half I of the lever arm from 22 to the center of sheave 'l9 so that the motion of the piston rod is approximately half that of the sheave l9. Because the sheave 19 works in a bight of the cable l3 line position of lever 2| corresponds to the fully -closed position of the doors.

Means is provided for holding the lever 2| in door closing position against the tendency of the doors to open both because of the action of gravity on the doors themselves and because of the weight of any load carried in the wagon body. To this end a ratchet 32 is secured to the outer end of lever 2|, the ratchet teeth being formed substantially upon an are about the pivot point 22. A pawl 33 is mounted to engage and hold one of the ratchet teeth when the doors are closed. This pawl is pivotally mounted at 34 on an arm 35 which is pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot 36. The arm 35 i in the form ofabell crank lever composed of a pair of side plates 35a between which pawl 33 is mounted. An L-sh-aped pin 31 connected with a plate 3511 as shown in Fig. passes through an opening in bracket 38 mounted on one of the plates 23. Between a nut on the end of pin 31 and bracket 38 is a compression spring 39 which tends to return the arm 35 in a counterclockwise direction to the position of Fig. 2 whenever the arm is moved away from that position in a clockwise direction. A counterweight 40 rigid with the pawl 33 tends to urge the nose of the pawl into engagement with the ratchet 32. In Fig. 2 the pawl 33 is shown in its holding position and itwill be noted that the pawl pivot 34 is slightly to the left of a straight line connecting arm pivot 36 with the nose of pawl 33. Thus, the tendency of arm 2| and ratchet 32 to move toward the leftor in a clockwise direction from the full line position of Fig. 2 tends to cause a counterclockwise movement of arm 35. This tendency is resisted by the servomotor 42 as will presen ly appear.

Means is provided for moving pawl 33 from' its holding position of Fig. 2 to a release position as disclosed in Fig. 4. Preferably power means is utilized for this purpose and the servomotor 42 which has a fluid actuated diaphragm is a convenient means to this end. As indicated in section in Fig. 4, the servomotor has a diaphragm 42a which is connected by rod 43 to a slotted end 44 which lies between the plates 35a of the arm 35. The pin 35b of the arm moves in the slot 44a. Obviously when the parts are in the position of Fig. 2, counterclockwise movement of arm 35 is prevented because the rod 43 presses against the top wall of the housing of servomotor 42. supplied at the inlet 45 of the servomotor 42, the rod 43 makes a downward stroke, causing clockwise movement of the arm 35. Only suflicient movement is necessary to change the position of the pawl pivot 34 from that shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 4. In other words in Fig. 4 the pawl pivot is to the right of a straight line connecting the arm pivot 36 with the nose of the pawl 33. The tendency of lever 2| to move in its return direction due to the action of gravity and the load of the vehicle on the doors is indicated by the arrow on lever 2| in Fig. 4. With the pawl pivot in the position there shown this tendency of lever 2| to move in a clockwise dition illustrated in Fig. 4 is a breaking of this toggle toward the right. As the counterweight swings in a counterclockwise direction to the dot-dash position of Fig. 4, the guard 4| prevents swinging of the counterweight too far in the counterclockwise direction. It will be noted in the full line position of the parts in Figs. 2 and 4, that the counterweight normally urges the pawl 33 against the teeth of the ratchet 32.

In Fig. 6 is shown diagrammatically a control valve which preferably is located at some point where it may be reached by the operator of the tractor Fluid under pressure is admitted to the valve at 41. The valve is of the usual two- 'way type adapted to connect the fluid inlet with the outlet leading to the servomotor 42 or to the outlet 48 which leads to the, cylinder 21. Spring means is provided for normally returning the valve handle to the full line position of Fig. 6. A port 54 normally evacuates cylinder 21 and servomotor 42. g

It is thought the operation of my improved door wind mechanism will now be apparent. When the doors |2 are in their dropped or open position and it is desired to close them, the operator moves the valve handle 48a to its dot-dash position of Fig. 6 so that the valve connects the conduits 41 and 48. This admits fluid under pressure to the left end of cylinder 21, as viewed in Fig. 2 and causes a stroke of the piston rod 30 toward the right. This moves the lever 2| from the dot-dash position of Fig. 2 to the full line position thereof, carrying the sheave l9 toward the right and exerting a pull on the cable 3 until the doors |2 are closed. ,The pawl 33 then engages one of the teeth of ratchet 32, there being a plurality of such teeth to allow for stretching of the cable or pieces blocking the full closing of the doors I2. When the pawl 33 holds When fluid under pressure is the lever 2|, the operator may release the valve handle 46a and the valve will return to its full line position of Fig. 6 under the influence of its centering spring. To drop thedoors the operator moves the handle 48a to its dotted line position of Fig. 6 so that the valve passageway connects conduits 41 and 45. air to the servomotor 42 causing a release stroke of the arm 35. The lever 2| then moves in a clockwise direction due to the action of gravity on the doors l2. This causes a stroke of piston 29 toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2. Air is then sucked in to the right end of cylinder 21 through conduit 49 and air filter 50. The air filter 50 is of the oil bath type and a certain amount of oil is carried from the filter through conduit 49 into the right-hand end of cylinder 21, thus aiding in its lubrication. A check valve 5| permits flow toward conduit 49 only during movement of piston 29 toward the left. A check valve 52 permits fluid flow away from conduit 49 only during a stroke of piston 29 toward the right.

During a door dumping operation the downward movement of doors I2 and the clockwise movement of lever 2| may carry the pivot point 3| above the line A connecting points 28 and 22. A bolt "53 mounted on the vehicle frame and spring pressed downwardly engages lever 2| at such times and causes return of the parts to the dot-dash position of Fig. 2 where the pivot 3| lies adjacent but below the line A. This takes up the slack in the door cables and places the parts in position for the next door closing operation wherein the cylinder and piston motor 21, 29, 30 acts with the least amount of power during the early part of the counterclockwise move This sends a shot of,

ment of lever 2| about its pivot 22 as the doors start to, close. However as the parts reach the full line position of Fig. 2 where the doors are nearly closed and where most power is required,

it will be noted that the pistonrod 30 is substantially at right angles to the lever arm betwee the point 3| and the pivot 22. Y What I claim is:

1. In a vehicle having a dumping door, a lever having a pivotal mounting, a door closing cable connected with said door and with said lever,-a cylinder and piston motor for moving said lever to pull on said cable -to close said door, said cyl.-

inder having a pivotal mounting, said piston having a piston rod connected with said lever, and said pivotal mountings and said piston rod connection being so positioned that said piston rod ing said door, a lever having a connection with said cable, means for moving said lever in one direction to close said door against the tendency of gravity acting on said door to return said lever in the opposite direction, a pivoted arm, a pawl pivoted on said arm, a tooth on said lever engaged by said pawl when said lever is in door-.-

closing position, the parts being so positioned and proportioned that when said door is held closed said pawl pivot lies on the lever-return side of a straight line between said arm .pivot and the point where said pawl engages said tooth, and means for moving said arm sufficiently to move said pawl pivot to the other side of said straight line, whereupon the tendency of said lever to return rotates said pawl about its pivot and permits dumping. 3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said last named means comprises a servomotor for moving said arm in dumping direction, and said servomotor holds said pawl pivot against movement away from said straight line when said door is held closed. A v

GEORGE E. ARMIN TON. 

